Project: Between Scylla and Charybdis - managing connectivity for freshwater fish
| Acronym | ODYSSEUS (Reference Number: 26) |
| Duration | 31/12/2016 - 30/12/2019 |
| Project Topic | Stream-lake networks are an example of blue infrastructures that are fragmented by grey infrastructures in the form of dams, weirs, culverts, etc. Many man-made obstructions form absolute barriers, with dramatic effects on fish communities and ecosystem services. Restoring connectivity by removing dams and weirs are important means for improving the functioning of river-scapes, but may cause the spread of invasive species. This trade-off is not implemented in the national guidelines for the Water Framework Directive in most EU countries. Although many local managers are aware of the conflict, there is a lack of quantitative tools that managers can use when balancing conflicting goals. The overarching aim of this project is therefore to provide a decision support system for the management of connectivity in river-scapes networks. To establish an empirical base for the decision system we will: 1) Quantify the colonization rates for key fish species, 2) Quantify the relationship between fragment size and extinction rate, 3) Investigate how effects of fragmentation are modified by other stressors, and 4) Investigate how end-users value native and non-native species as well as the habitats affected by connectivity modifications. These results will be integrated into a decision support system, which will be developed in dialogue with local and regional managers, national authorities responsible for the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, and other stakeholders. The most important part of the support system will be interactive maps that can be used to explore scenarios resulting from removing or adding barriers. |
| Network | BiodivERsA3 |
| Call | BiodivERsA3 Joint Call 2015 |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umeå University | Coordinator | Sweden |
| 2 | Luleå University of Technology | Partner | Sweden |
| 3 | Institut de Recherche pour le Développement | Partner | France |
| 4 | Norwegian University of Science and Technology | Partner | Norway |
| 5 | Norwegian Institute for Nature Research | Partner | Norway |
| 6 | University of Girona | Partner | Spain |